Fights break out at funeral for Staten Island mom fatally stabbed in brawl defending her daughter

Chaos erupted astatine the ceremonial of Jennira “Dandi” Roundtree, the Staten Island parent fatally stabbed portion trying to support her teenaged girl from a convulsive brawl.

The somber service, meant to grant the 43-year-old parent of four, was marred by aggregate altercations, prompting constabulary assigned to the Far Rockaway, Queens religion to measurement in.

“In each my years, I person ne'er seen a ceremonial similar this,” said the ceremonial director, who had presided implicit countless services.

Roundtree was killed Jan. 7 extracurricular the West Brighton Houses connected Henderson Ave. adjacent Broadway, wherever the 43-year-old parent of 4 lived aft a deadly confrontation sparked by a societal media dispute betwixt the victim’s 13-year-old girl and different girls, which escalated into a convulsive clash involving implicit 20 women and girls.

“This is 1 of the saddest things I’ve ever seen and the astir horrible things we’ve experienced successful our neighborhood,” said Pastor David Videl of Staten Island. “I cognize the kids good for a agelong time, from summertime camps, after-school clubs.”

Videl’s dependable grew dense with emotion arsenic helium recalled Roundtree’s last maternal act.

“The Bible says nary 1 has immoderate greater emotion than idiosyncratic would laic down their beingness for their daughter, for their sons, for their daughters’ friends,” helium said to Roundtree’s grief-stricken children. “Your ma stood up and went into the mediate of a battalion of wolves. Into a battalion of wolves she enactment her assemblage betwixt them and her daughter, her son. She laid down her beingness to support her children.”

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Jennira Roundtree was fatally stabbed extracurricular the West Brighton Houses connected Jan. 7. (Facebook)

Shortly earlier Roundtree died astatine Richmond University Medical Center, friends of her girl ran into her gathering to archer the doomed parent her 13-year-old girl was surrounded by an aggravated mob.

When Roundtree rushed downstairs and stepped in, 1 of the young women —identified arsenic Jasmin Thompson — plunged a leaf into her chest.

“She lone wanted to support her baby,” a comparative of Jennira’s said successful the days pursuing her death. “She went extracurricular to get her kid successful the house, lone to find her kid with a battalion of much than a twelve girls connected her. She tried to propulsion her kid away, and they each jumped her.”

Thompson, 25, fled the country and aboriginal turned herself in to look execution charges, claiming she acted successful self-defense. The wanted pistillate brazenly appeared arsenic a guest on podcast LFTG radio, wherever she claimed she lone picked up the bloodied weapon aft Roundtree was stabbed.

Her lawyer, Mario Gallucci, argued that Roundtree had attacked his client’s household with a play nine and a sock filled with locks earlier Thompson picked up a weapon to support herself. Thompson has since been charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, and transgression possession of a weapon.

Barry Williams/ New York Daily News

NYPD detectives locomotion Roundtree’s accused slayer Jasmin Thompson, 25, from the 120th Precinct connected Jan. 13. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)

As tensions flared astatine her funeral, eulogizer Dr. Regina Williams described however Roundtree transformed mean moments with her children into present cherished memories,.

“Her children were her world. The treasure of her bosom and the inspiration for everything she did,” Williams said. “Her emotion for them knew nary bounds, and her bequest of unconditional love, kindness, and resilience volition everlastingly beryllium imprinted connected their lives.”

Just arsenic the eulogy ended, a combat broke retired extracurricular the church, forcing constabulary to unreserved retired and interruption up the fracas. Towards the extremity of the service, different altercation erupted successful the pews, prompting yet different circular of involution by cops.

“We privation to bash the close happening by them, and we privation to determination with other compassion, due to the fact that this is simply a batch connected them, and you don’t cognize what they’re going through,” said Reverend Evan D. Gray, Sr.. “You tin lone assume, until you person mislaid your mother.”

Despite the reverend’s entreaty for calm, a 3rd combat broke retired arsenic the work concluded, forcing constabulary to wide the church.

“These are immoderate hurting children,” Gray said. “I request everybody to springiness them a moment. If you ain’t ne'er been successful this position, you volition not understand. If you don’t cognize what it’s similar to suffer your mother, you don’t understand.”

Throughout the service, Jennira’s young teenage lad stood adjacent her unfastened casket adourned with photos of her children and family, his look etched with grief arsenic helium silently wept. He was not progressive successful the fights.

One household member, who asked to stay anonymous, shared her disbelief implicit the unit that had transpired astatine the funeral.

“I don’t adjacent know. That’s what’s crazy,” she said, shaking her head. “This wasn’t her. She wouldn’t privation this. She would privation peace.”